Intravascular pump

• US 20040044266A1
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impella Cardiosystems Gmbh (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: ABIOMED Europe GmbH (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Doepper, Gerhard, Siess, Thorsten
• Granted Patent: US 7,027,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0081 Soft tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0068 Static characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. shape, atraumatic tip, curved tip or tip structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 Guide tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0668 splittable, tear apart
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/135 inside a blood vessel, e.g. using grafting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/216 including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/237 the blood flow through the rotating member having mainly axial components, e.g. axial flow pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/857 Implantable blood tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/865 Devices for guiding or inserting pumps or pumping devices into the patient's body

Abstract

The pump (10) comprises a drive portion (11) and a pump portion (12) which have such a small diameter that they can be pushed through a blood vessel (31). The pump portion (12) has a flexible cannula (18) connected thereto. In order to reduce the flow resistance of the cannula (18), the cannula (18) can be dilated to a diameter that is larger than that of the drive portion (11) and the pump portion (12), respectively. To be able to introduce the pump into the body by puncturing the blood vessel (31) according to the Seldinger technique, the cannula (18) is set into the constricted state in which it has a small diameter. In the blood vessel (31), it is dilated so that it offers a small flow resistance to the blood to be pumped there.

Claims

1. An intravascular pump comprising a drive portion (11), a pump portion (12) connected therewith and a flexible cannula (18) projecting from the pump portion (12),

characterized in that

the cannula (18) consists of an expandable hose being adapted to assume a state with a relatively small first diameter and a state with a relatively large second diameter.

2. The pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the cannula (18) comprises a material with shape memory which assumes the state with the small diameter at a low temperature and assumes the state with the larger diameter at a higher temperature.

3. The pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the cannula is contained in a tubular coating (50) in a constricted state and, upon removal of the coating (50), assumes an expanded state while dilating elastically.

4. The pump according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a tubular sluice (36) is provided through which the cannula (18) is adapted to be pushed in the constricted state.

5. The pump according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cannula (18) comprises a rigid head piece (22).

6. The pump according to claim 5, characterized in that the head piece (22) comprises an opening (23) for the passage of a guide wire (34).

7. The pump according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the drive portion (11) and the pump portion (12) comprise a longitudinally extending channel for a guide wire (34).

8. The pump according to claim 4, characterized in that the sluice (36) comprises a sealing (38) acting against the cannula (18).

9. The pump according to claim 3, characterized in that the coating (50) comprises longitudinally extending fissures (51) permitting a tear into two separate sheets (52, 53).

10. The pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the cannula is radially spring-elastic.

11. The pump according to claim 10, characterized in that the rigidity of the cannula increases from the cannula tip to the rear.